


Meeting Alice

by TheWayLifeShouldBe



Category: Persons Unknown
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-07 02:44:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17952170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWayLifeShouldBe/pseuds/TheWayLifeShouldBe
Summary: Years after meeting on a bus, Failing university student turned teacher meets a girl who changed his life years before, simply by showing him that the world was in fact still a beautiful place, if you know where to look. Art was his passion, and he'd lost most of it due to the stress of school. How do you regain a love for something you never expected to lose love for?





	Meeting Alice

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Life is Beautiful if you know where to look](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/460553) by Matt Cerini. 



I’ll never forget that day as long as I’m alive. I never could have expected a single ride on the bus could have changed my life the way that it did. I met a girl, and no, not in the way that you’re thinking. She was adorable, with big brown eyes that reflected the sun in a way that I’d never seen. Her hair was like fire and she became my greatest influence in a mere two stops. I sat where many had sat before me, on my way home from an evening class at my local university. I had a big dinner waiting for me when I got home, and honestly, I hadn’t been inspired for a really long time. I lost my love for art. I lost that passion that I’d had for so long as many good artists do. I lost my love and I found it tedious. So I was given a project, draw life around you. It was pretty easy, though I drew meaningless, blank, expressionless things. A man who was riding the bus, he was standing, holding onto one of the handles hanging from the ceiling. He had no expression, not even bored, it was like his face was void of everything. 

I sat in my seat, doodling in a book, looking around at everything, until this little girl, no older than seven or eight doing the same thing. She had a red crayon and her own little sketch pad. While I had been sketching the old man at the front of the bus, she was sitting directly across from me, drawing what she saw in front of her. The woman next to her talked on her cellphone and when she tried to get her attention she was dismissive.  _ Been there kid. _ I remember thinking. And I had been exactly where she was, a dismissive mother, too busy to focus on her child. We hit a bump and she dropped her crayon, crumpled the drawing and threw it to the floor. Of all things the girl decided to draw, and she chose me, the failing art student who could barely manage to find anything enjoyable about the field he was trying to work in. 

I remember looking at the red crayon drawing, and while it wasn’t that great it made me smile. She captured everything right, from the way the collar of my shirt folded over my sweater to the way my hair licked up at my ears and swooped on my forehead. My stop was coming up, and I knew if I didn’t hit the bell that I’d miss it. I remember looking around frantically, grabbing my bag and standing up. I ran to the front of the bus, told the driver that I’d get off at the next stop. The poor girl had looked so defeated, but I didn’t want her to give up, I wanted her to never lose the love of drawing. She wasn’t very good, but she had so much potential. I mean she did better than I had at that age, and she was already better than my own little sister, who wasn’t much older than her. 

So as I moved back to where I had been sitting I crouched down and handed the sweet red haired girl her drawing back as well as the crayon. She added another little doodle to the page before handing it back to me. It got me through university, through my placements and finally i got me through my teaching. Which is where I stand now. In a classroom, all my own. Professor Cerini. I wonder if Alice still thinks about me, I wonder if she’s given up or if she’s decided to keep it up. I always hoped I’d see her again I wanted to thank her for putting another spring in my step, something that had been missing for so long. 

 

New year, new lessons, new smiling faces. That’s what I had to expect, but something I never expected whilst sitting at my desk watching as people began filing through the door was a girl with striking red hair and eyes like honey. “Alice?” I don’t know if the name actually came out of my mouth or if I had just  _ thought _ I said it. I looked at her as she found her desk. She carried a small, white book bag with red sharpie doodles; little characters with different expressions, characters with various appearances. She took a seat at the front of the class and seemed to be ready for anything in store. She had her own computer decorated in red stickers and a really nice drawing tablet. I see she’s upgraded. As more students filed in I found myself giddy with excitement for the new year.  

The sounds of bells tolled the beginning of class, I stood up and looked out at the sea of fresh faces, as well as the faces of students from previous years who I’d taught other classes to. I stood at the front of the class, looking up at these faces, and there she was at the front of the class. 

“When I was in high school, I found an interest in drawing, and I found out that some people make careers out of it, so that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to do something good, something inspiring something that would teach me to challenge myself. I’ve compiled a series of drawings ones from when I could first hold a pencil, to just last week. I know its a new year, and I’ve taught some of you before, I’m not here for formalities so let’s toss that out the window, my name is Matt, Matt Cerini no need for professor, doctor, sir, those are just dumb. My name is Matt, and I hope that I’ll learn all of your names soon.” I set a clipboard down at the left side of the front row, “Pass this clipboard down, tell me your name and it’ll be our attendance sheet. If you have a nickname or preferred name throw it down, in brackets and it’s what I’ll call you.” I explained as I moved back towards the middle of the room. “Okay so let me tell you how I wound up here.”

I looked to Alice and smiled before clicking the slider. “When I was in my freshman year of university, I lost all my inspiration, I lost my love for drawing and had basically given up on something that at one point had been my passion, and the thing I loved most. That is, until I met the little girl who drew this picture of me on a bus.” I smiled fondly and saw her expression change from wonderment to surprised. “I was working on a project, to draw the life around me, and I chose meaningless things, men with no expressions, people around me who were basically black and white. Nothing seemed to have a  _ purpose _ for me. But that changed when I met Alice, out of all the things she could have drawn, she chose to draw me, and while it wasn’t that great, she showed me that there was more to drawing than just being good. So I started drawing comic books, with action heroes who had the coolest designs.

“Alice took shape in a young female hero with bright red hair, and eyes that almost mesmerized you. Do you know how many red headed superheroines there are? Not many if I’m being honest, there’s less than forty, and even less if you only count Marvel and DC, so I thought, if I’m going to make a redheaded superheroine, she’s going to be the most badass superhero the world has ever seen. She’s going to be able to control fire, and basically have other really cool powers. Think like Kim Possible, but with actual powers other than just sheer badassery.” 

“Did I really inspire you that much?” asked the small voice at the front of the room. “All I did was draw what was right in front of me?”

“It’s not what you drew, but how you drew it. When you thought that you ruined it you wanted to throw it away, but I never wanted you to think that an extra line would ruin a great drawing. I’m glad to see you never quit, that you never stopped doing what you loved.” I explained, wearing a smile. 

“I’m glad to see that you never gave up either, I was really worried that you would have. No one should ever give up on their passion as long as their alive.” 

“No Alice, they shouldn’t. And that day you showed me how to have passion for what you do. You showed me how to get back that flame. In a world full of dark black, blues, and greys, be red.” I said warmly. I looked out at the faces, they all had varying degrees of happiness, or clarity. “I hope everyone here can be red, or orange, or green. hell , be whatever makes you happy, so the first thing I want you all to do, is to get in groups of two or three, and draw one another in whatever colour you think they radiate. I want you to look at your partner, someone you don’t know and draw them, draw what you see, how that person makes you feel.” I explained. “So, partner up.” 

 

The class shuffled desks, moved so they faced one another, all but one. The red haired girl in the front of class. “I want to draw you professor.” Alice said warmly. I shuffled some things around on my desk and invited her to the front of the classroom. “You’re yellow. You have always been yellow. But not sunshine yellow, or the yellow you see on sunflowers, but the yellow you get when the sun is about to set, you’re yellow, but also orange and also hints of reds. I’ve always believed that, and seeing you now, after all these years I’m sure of it.” Alice didn’t seem so quiet, she was confident as she pulled up her tablet and began to draw. 

My hair was shorter now, more stylish, I had a better sense of style than I did nearly ten years ago. She drew me with such dedication to the assignment, careful not to miss anything. Instead of freckles on my cheeks, she drew little stars. Alice was focused, and intense, and albeit a bit cute. She hasn’t changed much. I started imagining how I would draw her now. I sat still as she sketched my profile, she drew exactly how she saw me. Little things I would discount from myself were made prominent in her drawing. Once she was finished she turned the screen off on her tablet and looked at me. 

“Your turn.” I blinked a few times and chuckled, I guess she was right. I turned to my computer, and plugged in my tablet. Alice had longer hair now, it surpassed her shoulders and cascaded down her back. Her honey coloured eyes were now hidden behind a pair of round red glasses. Freckles peppered her cheeks and nose. She wore a yellow blouse with a red overall skirt. Alice held her tablet on her lap, her slender fingers gripped around it as she sat, relaxed in her chair. I sketched her in a more orangey red this time around. She radiates happiness the smile she wore was small and yet impactful. Rough sketches were always hard for me. I was a perfectionist, but the way I saw Alice, was a way I don’t think I’ve ever looked at anyone else. 

She made me forget about everything that was wrong with the world, and there was so much wrong. But in this moment, even in a room full of people, a room full of chattering students, doodling and sketching their partners, getting to know one another. I felt like it was just Alice and I. Just like on that bus. Even though everything was busy, and there was noise all around, the world fell quiet; the world was peaceful. My drawing was up on the board, I captured everything about her in the way that I saw, from the way that she sat to the way that she had carried herself into the classroom. Soon the classroom fell silent as they directed their attention to the front of the room where my drawing of Alice, captured her very essence. She wasn’t a harsh red that you’d see at a stoplight, or off of a sign; instead she was like the sky, just after the sun falls behind the horizon. The reds, oranges, pinks and yellows. It was hard to find the right colour for her, but this was it. 

“How…?” Alice asked softly. She turned her tablet back on, and turned her drawing towards me. “We see each other the same way.” She said, with a warm smile. 

“A sunset.” we say together. 

 

Months pass, semesters come and go, and soon I’m no longer teaching Alice. She comes to me for advice whenever she needs it. She’s the only student who takes advantage of my office hours. We take trips together to paint, we do pottery, and lines start to blur. We enjoy spending time with one another even though we know the age gap, and how it would look. I could lose my credibility as an art professor hell, I could lose my job. But honestly none of that seemed to matter. 

It was late April, the school year had come to a close, exams and finals were over. Alice would soon move back home for the spring and summer and there our ways would continue to part until school started back in September. 

“I’ve really enjoyed spending time with you.” Alice said, as she tugged on the large brimmed sun hat covering her head. “I know it’s wrong, but I think over these few months I’ve started to get these feelings that I know I shouldn’t have. I know I’m about to leave and I shouldn’t leave on notes like these. But I just can’t help it. I doubt you even feel the same way, I mean I know that we enjoy spending time with one another but I’m just some kid… A-and… y’know.” Alice stumbled through her words, trying to find the right ones. Her cheeks were dusted with a soft red as she stared out across the water. 

“Shh, Alice. I’ve enjoyed spending time with you too, more than I should. I know that you were a student of mine, and I know I shouldn’t have these feelings either, but y’know what, you can’t control how you feel. You’re eighteen, I’m twenty seven, I’ve seen worse age gaps hell my parents are nearly fourteen years apart. I never want to force you into any situation you’re uncomfortable with. But I understand how you feel.” I set my hand on hers and smiled. “They’re reciprocated, just know that.”

Her cheeks went darker and she stared at the ground as she squeezed my hand gently. “Thank you Matt…” She said softly. 

“Of course,” I replied, holding her hand. 

“Can… Can I kiss you?” She asked, in a mousy voice. 

I laughed and scratched the back of my neck, before placing a soft kiss on her cheek. “If that’s what you’re comfortable with.” 

Alice quickly turned on her toes and stood on her toes and pressed a soft, quick kiss on my lips. “I hate to say goodbye like this.” 

“It’s not forever, besides, I have you next year so you can’t run away that easily.” I mused, earning a laugh from her. 

“I’m renting an apartment next year so I won’t have to move back home. But should you ever find yourself in Seattle again, maybe visiting family, we could take the bus.” 

“I’d like that… I’d like that a lot. I’ll see you in the fall Alice.” 

“I’ll see you in the fall. Hopefully sooner.” 

“I’ll let you know.”

“Promise?”

“Pinky promise.” And with that, we locked fingers, shared another kiss, before sending her on her way back home.

I watched as she walked to her car and drove off with a back seat full of boxes and totes. I waved her off as she drove back to Seattle.


End file.
